Flossmoor, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Before you toss that pumpkin in the trash, consider having a little fun and helping the environment by bringing it to the Pumpkin Smash this Saturday at the Coyote Run Golf Course.
You can see your old pumpkin dropped from an elevated bucket truck, catapulted through the air, or smashed with a sledgehammer. When the smashing is complete, the remains of the pumpkins will be composted at Possibility Place Nursery in Monee.
The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year on the Saturday after Halloween.
Since 2014 the Pumpkin Smash has…
- Composted over 538 tons of pumpkins
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 410 tons of CO2e
- Diverted 34,230 gallons of water from landfills
Composting is nature’s way of recycling with many benefits:
- Avoids landfill greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing organics (currently, landfills are the 3rd largest producers of methane in the U.S.!)
- Produces a useful, nutrient-dense soil amendment
- Pumpkins are 90% water which is great for our soil, but not so good in our landfills.
The event has its own Facebook page. Pumpkin Smash is sponsored by the Chicago Southland Green Committee, Homewood Disposal, and the Homewood Science Center. For more information about Pumpkin Smash, visit scarce.org/pumpkins.
The Smash runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 5. Coyote Run is located at 800 Kedzie Avenue in Flossmoor.
